It’s been eight years since the last Modest Mouse album, and while their latest, Strangers to Ourselves, was supposed to hit stores today, they pushed the release date to March 17th. To appease us, they’ve shared another new track from the long-awaited full-length: stream the somber album-closer “Of Course We Know” below. Modest Mouse will be playing Saturday, May 23rd at the Sasquatch Music Festival. [Spin]

’90s-revivalists Speedy Ortiz share a new track from their upcoming release, Foil Deer. Stream the track “The Graduates” below. Foil Deer will be out April 21st via Carpark, and the band will be swinging by Barboza on Wednesday, May 27th. [Consequence of Sound]

Indie-pop trio Eternal Summers announced their fourth album today, titled Gold And Stone. Check out the first single “Together Or Alone” below, which features more of the sunny power-pop sound we’ve come to love from them. Gold And Stone hits stores June 2nd via Kanine. [Stereogum]

Although best known as the lead singer behind seminal Pacific Northwest bands Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service, Ben Gibbard also possesses a deep record collection, spurred by his passion for timeless pop and Krautrock gems that date back to the 60s. Expertly curating a 17-song all-vinyl set for KEXP, Ben Gibbard the DJ gets a moment in the spotlight on Midnight In A Perfect World to share some of the finest underground psych-pop, garage-rock, and Krautrock tracks of the last 50 years.

Artist

Song

Ben Gibbard

Intro

Parsley Sound

Ease Yourself and Glide

Mama Cass

California Earthquake

Slapp Happy

Blue Flower

Stealing Sheep

Rearrange

Alex Chilton

Hey Little Child

The Cymbaline

Matrimonial Fears

Emitt Rhodes

With My Face On The Floor

The Dovers

What Am I Gonna Do?

The Clique

Superman

Rockin’ Horse

Biggest Gossip In Town

Yoko Ono

Waiting For The Sunrise

Honeybus

(Do I Figure) In Your Life

Colin Blunstone

Carolina Goodbye

Prefab Sprout

Bonny

Eurythmics

Take Me To Your Heart

The Beach Boys

All I Wanna Do

Popol Vuh

Letzte Tage – Letzte Nächte

Ben Gibbard

Interview / Outro

Midnight in an Perfect World, KEXP’s weekly hour-long guest DJ show, airs Fridays at midnight. This multi-genre program features eclectic sets by a rotating cast of international and local DJ’s, each building upon a party vibe to kick off your weekend.

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on The Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, is ‘Every New Love’ by Bonnie & The BANG BANG from the 2015 self-released album Distance.

Since 2011, Oakland’s Bonnie & the BANG BANG have been carving out musical bullets marinated in that timeless Tarantino cool. With the release of their new effort Distance, the band have excelled in creating sections of sleazy and seductive audio splices that are similar in that they fit perfectly into the grand scheme of things yet are distinctly unique to one another. This is whiskey addled, hook infested western whimsy poured into a dirty shot glass.

As the first single, “Every New Love” is slow and breathy classic that drips with a raw, heartfelt sound. Vocals soar over the instrumental like a vulture overhead, making its own melodies that are dead on with just the right intensity and tone. The rhythms intertwine perfectly, creating an ice cold groove that courses through the listeners blood like a snake bite. This type of music, for better or worse, will put hairs on your chest.

Currently, the only show on Bonnie & the BANG BANG’s calendar is March 14th at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall. If they add more dates, you’ll find those on their Facebook page. Look for more music on soundcloud and wet your appetite with the live performance of their track “Hungry Dog” below.

KEXP has our TV eye set for this week in late night television. Set your DVR, TiVo, or just drink some coffee to stay awake for these musical guest performances on your favorite talk shows. Here are the highlights:

Monday, March 2nd:
Late Show with David Letterman: Hundred Waters (R)
Late Night with Seth Meyers: Kate Pierson
Last Call with Carson Daly: The Melvins

Tuesday, March 3rd:
Conan: Brandi Carlile
Late Show with David Letterman: Sturgill Simpson (R)
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: GZA
Late Night with Seth Meyers: Kate Pierson
Last Call with Carson Daly: Natalie Prass (R)

Aussie sweetheart Courtney Barnett has shared another track from her upcoming full-length debut, Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit. Check out the lovely, lilting ballad “Depreston” below, along with its accompanying video of many front lawns. When Courtney was in town last October, she recorded an exclusive KEXP in-studio version of this track, alongside other new ones, which you can hear Tuesday, March 24th at Noon PT. RSVP on our Facebook event for a reminder to tune in. Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit hits stores on March 23rd via Mom + Pop. [Pitchfork]

Beloved Northwest duo The Helio Sequence make their triumphant return with their sixth full-length album, and today, you can get a sneak peek below with the first single “Stoic Resemblance.” Their self-titled release comes out May 19th on longtime label Sub Pop, and the band will be LIVE on KEXP that day at 1:00 PM PT. You can also catch the band doing a special acoustic performance on Tuesday, March 31st at The Triple Door. [Stereogum]

Our friends at NPR Music are offering a full-stream of Fresh Blood, the sophomore release from Virigina-based rocker Matthew E. White. KEXP Music Director Don Yates describes the release as a “well-crafted set of soul-inflected pop, featuring a warm, full-bodied though intimate sound, impeccably arranged with lush strings, soulful horns, piano, soft vocals and effervescent harmonies.” Hear it for yourself here. Fresh Blood hits stores on March 10th via Domino Records, and you can catch him on Saturday, March 28th at The Sunset. [Consequence of Sound]

Southern soul stompers Alabama Shakes shook up the stage on Saturday Night Live this weekend. Watch them perform the tracks “Gimme All Your Love” and “Don’t Wanna Fight” from their highly-anticipated sophomore album Sound & Color, out April 21st on ATO Records. You can keep track of all the late-night television musical highlights with KEXP’s TV Eye column here. [Under the Radar]

A “rain plan” is practically unknown in the Northwest. It rains here too frequently, but rarely fervently, for anyone to need that kind of contingency. Instead, for us rain plans are active ones, scenarios for doing and being. Maybe that’s why Israel Nash‘s 2014 album, Rain Plans, gripped us so firmly. His music seems to call us to an alternate time and place where people and ideas matter, where songs can resurrect one’s heroes and tear down those who abuse their power. His is an idealism we share in any weather. And clearly we’re not the only ones, as Israel Nash has gathered a group of talented friends who bring his rich melodies and rousing harmonies to glorious fruition on his last two albums and now on tour with him across the US. Recently, we welcomed the return of Israel Nash, come whatever may fall, live in the KEXP studio.

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on The Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, is “Deer” by The Sidekicks from the 2015 album Runners In The Nerved World on Epitaph.

There’s something very Northwest about the The Sidekicks’ new album, and it’s not just the view on its cover. The Ohio band didn’t just snap the pic from Seattle’s Pier 62 like any other tourist, but rather they absorbed the good part of a local summer while recording Runners In The Nerved World with producer Phil Ek at Avast Studios. Ek’s influence is clear. The Sidekicks’ punk past is nearly forgotten on glimmery pop numbers like today’s featured song, and the album’s first single, “Deer”. On it, vocalist and guitarist Steve Ciolek (who visited Seattle also with his other band, Saintseneca) hits sublime falsetto like other notable Ek producees – Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, The Shins, Built to Spill, et al – while the band punches forward with the perfect balance of sheen and fuzz to appeal to any aficionados of 90’s and 00’s Seattle rock.

The Sidekicks will be LIVE on KEXP on Wednesday, March 04, at 1:00 PM before playing Black Lodge later that night. Keep up with the band at their Facebook and Tumblr and below, watch a live performance of “Deer”.

]]>http://blog.kexp.org/2015/03/02/song-of-the-day-the-sidekicks-deer/feed/1Music That Matters Podcast: Morning Show Music Discoveryhttp://blog.kexp.org/2015/02/27/music-that-matters-podcast-morning-show-music-discovery/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=music-that-matters-podcast-morning-show-music-discovery
http://blog.kexp.org/2015/02/27/music-that-matters-podcast-morning-show-music-discovery/#commentsFri, 27 Feb 2015 22:00:23 +0000http://blog.kexp.org/?p=147664Read more...]]>Check out some of the KEXP DJ’s favorite artists from the Pacific Northwest and around the world on-the-go. KEXP’s Music That Matters weekly podcast brings you an exclusive mix of new music from the world’s best independent artists.

The Districts // photo courtesy of the artist

Currently, you’ll hear:

Music That Matters, Vol. 449 – Morning Show Music Discovery
Join Morning Show host John Richards to discover hidden gems in this heavy vibed mix of pop and beats. Featuring the swirling eclectic sounds of local Seattle project Eggshells, the urgent rumbling guitars of The Districts and many more.

Sleater-Kinney were the musical guests on last night’s Late Night with Seth Meyers. The recently reunited trio performed the song “Price Tag” from their album No Cities To Love. Watch below. [Pitchfork]

Seattle’s own experimental pop outfit Mega Bog will be heading out on an extensive North American tour next month. They’re making one of their first stops at Seattle’s Black Lodge this Monday, March 2. Today they’ve shared the video for “Wet Moss,” a dreamy track from last year’s Gone Banana. [Stereogum]

Action Bronson has shared the absolutely ridiculous video for “Actin Crazy” It’s completely insane and features cereal and Godzilla. The song is off his album Mr. Wonderful which drops on March 24. [CoS]